


His Longest

by luna_plath



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Aurors, F/M, Friendship, One Shot, Party, Post - Deathly Hallows, Post-Canon, Prompt Fill, Unrequited Crush, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-01
Updated: 2014-08-01
Packaged: 2018-02-11 06:43:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2057877
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/luna_plath/pseuds/luna_plath
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You know that place between sleeping and awake, that place where you can still remember dreaming? That's where I'll always think of you.</p>
            </blockquote>





	His Longest

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LadyWhizbee](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyWhizbee/gifts).



Neville had been to Grimmauld Place plenty of times before, but tonight was a unique occasion. Ron, Harry, and himself had all recently graduated from Auror training in a year and a half, and Hermione, along with a few other friends, had thrown them a party to celebrate. There would be an official ceremony at the Ministry where they’d be sworn in, but only a few family members, Ministry officials and the press were allowed to attend.

He hadn’t been to many parties, but the moment Neville crossed the threshold of the London residence he was glad he’d come to this one, at least so that he could see Hermione and thank her. He’d arrived before most of the other guests, unsure what time was appropriate to show up when the party was also for him.

Even with the renovations Harry had undertaken a year ago the house had always seemed slightly intimidating to Neville, with the unchanged Victorian architecture and vacant cast from Harry being there so rarely, but now it looked unusually inviting. There were colored fairy lights in all the rooms, along with plenty of candles that had been bewitched to float near the ceiling, reminding him of Hogwarts. Harry had accrued some strange artifacts from traveling, but it looked like anything odd or easily breakable had been put out of sight.

“Hermione?” Neville called, making his way to the basement kitchen where he could hear the wireless playing. “Did you do all this? It looks amazing.”

He came around the corner quickly and nearly collided with someone on the landing, grabbing the person’s arm before they both toppled over.

“Ah, sorry,” he laughed, standing face to face with Ginny, who was wearing a slinky cocktail dress. “Did I hit you?”

“I’m fine, but I’m disappointed in you. Aurors are supposed to be more observant,” she joked.

Neville could feel his cheeks redden as he tried to maintain eye contact, afraid that he’d only further embarrass himself if he took a close look at Ginny in her dress.

“If we’re being honest, I barely passed Stealth and Tracking,” he confided, his hands in his pockets.

They both laughed at that, remembering previous times when his clumsiness had been impossible to ignore.

Ginny looked beautiful in her simple black dress and heels, making his pulse quicken involuntarily. They’d remained friends after school but, once he’d been in training, it had been difficult for him to find time to see hardly anyone from Hogwarts. Neville had been amazed that Harry and Ron had both maintained relationships during their expedited schooling, but they did have more experience than him. Shifting his weight from one foot to another, Neville forced himself to ignore Ginny’s fancy outfit and listen to what she was saying.

“ . . . should be proud for finishing so quickly,” she said, congratulating him.

“You should be proud as well. I hear you’re staying on with the Harpies next season.”

Neville had never been all that taken with Quidditch, but having a friend on one of the major league teams had created an interest for him.

Ginny had always blushed easily, a pink tinge rising in her cheeks. “Thanks, Neville. I didn’t think you followed Quidditch.”

“I don’t much,” he shrugged. “But I always follow your team on the wireless, or in the papers.”

She looked surprised and for a moment he wondered if he’d said the right thing, but before Ginny could get out a reply Harry appeared on the landing.

“Have you been here long?” he asked, casually sliding his arm around Ginny’s waist. “Ron started celebrating a bit early. Had to sort out a singing teakettle. Glad you could make it, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Neville replied, his train of thought disrupted.

What had Ginny been about to say? He felt foolish all of a sudden, seeing Ginny’s hand over Harry’s, both of them resting on her hip like it was the most normal thing in the world. His stomach lurched in a tight, unpleasant way, reminding him of the nausea hex he’d learned in training.

“Is Hermione around? I wanted to thank her for all of this.”

“I think she was up in the drawing room, last I checked,” Ginny answered. “I’m sure you’ll find her if you just look upstairs.”

“Right. Thanks.”

On his way up the staircase Neville glanced over the railing to see Harry and Ginny still on the landing. Ginny was laughing at something, giving him the wild, unlikely impression that she was probably laughing at him or something he’d said, before Harry leaned in and kissed her. Instead of tightening, his stomach dropped to his knees, making Neville feel like he was sinking downwards instead of slowly climbing the stairs one at a time.

_You’re being stupid_ , he told himself, the sound of music and laughter from downstairs slowly fading. _You knew they were together._

Two years ago, when he’d been at Hogwarts during the war, the idea of being with Ginny hadn’t seemed so far out of reach. He’d always sort of fancied her, but in a private, deeply buried way. Neville knew that cooler blokes than him were interested in Ginny, but when the school had been taken over by the Carrows they’d all stuck together, the two of them especially.

He’d wanted to become an Auror because it was the right thing to do, and because he knew his parents would be proud of him, if they were capable of understanding, but also, at least in part, because he knew it would impress her. He could fight too. He wasn’t afraid. But Neville knew, more certain with every passing step, that he’d been misguided in his feelings. Ginny had never felt what he felt, no matter how often he’d wondered.

She wasn’t his first crush, but she’d been his longest. Reality did little to change that. He ran his hand over his face before wrapping his knuckles on the frame of the drawing room door, calling for Hermione. This was a party and it was just as much for him as anyone else, and he was going to be happy about it.


End file.
